Jason Garrett (now) thinks giving up play-calling is OK

Posted by Darin Gantt on November 5, 2013, 12:11 PM EST

AP

For most of the offseason, one of the primary storylines in Dallas was how exactly the Cowboys were going to wrest play-calling duties from the hands of head coach Jason Garrett, and which non-Garrett person was going to handle them.

But now, Garrett says he realizes it’s a positive for the Cowboys that Bill Callahan took it off his plate.

“I think it’s been a good thing,” Garrett said, via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s something that we’ve tried to do since I became the head coach, coming from the coordinator position. They’re two full-time jobs, and in order to do each of them well, you have to focus on really every aspect of them. They’re only so many hours in the day, so since I became the head coach, I was always trying to delegate some of the responsibilities I had within the coordinator position and within some of the head coaching responsibilities that I had. So now I can be more focused on some of the head coaching stuff.

“Certainly, I’m in all of the meetings on offense and many of the meetings on defense during the week. With the installations of the plays, I’m involved in all that. But you need to delegate and more importantly empower the people around you to do those jobs. We’ve done that. I think that structure has worked well for us. That doesn’t mean that because we’re in that structure, everything is going to be perfect. We need to keep working hard to make whatever structure we use the best it can be for our players to execute ball plays.”

That’s a roundabout way of saying he didn’t have much choice in the matter, so he’s choosing to make the best of a bad situation.

But if it was such a great idea, he wouldn’t have spent so much of the offseason resisting the giving up of power, which no coach, regardless his position, wants to do.

Dallas and all the 31 other NFL franchises envy our structure here in Washington with Snyder as the owner with Allen and Shanahan being the figures behind a great team and front office with Robert Griffin as the on the field leader. Thank God I’m a Redskins fan. #HTTR

“Certainly, I’m in all of the meetings on offense and many of the meetings on defense during the week. With the installations of the plays, I’m involved in all that. But you need to delegate and more importantly empower the people around you to do those jobs. We’ve done that. I think that structure has worked well for us. That doesn’t mean that because we’re in that structure, everything is going to be perfect. We need to keep working hard to make whatever structure we use the best it can be for our players to execute ball plays.”

That’s a roundabout way of saying he didn’t have much choice in the matter, so he’s choosing to make the best of a bad situation.

—————————————————————-

-scratches head- and you came to this conclusion how from that statement?

must be the first time someone in management delegated anything in history

Jason still isn’t quite sure how he feels about having the team meetings run by someone else. He kind of misses making out the game roster. He wishes some times he had a say in which players are retained and which are released. He’s just thankful Jerry allows him to stand on the sideline during the game. The view is so much better from there, and it’s nice to hear what the players have to say as they run past.

Callahan is a putrid play caller however. You can’t run the ball 9 times and win consistently. Minn bailed DAL out by throwing the ball on their 2nd to last series. Should’ve just let AP close the game out.

It’s never a good feeling when you think you know more than the coaches on the team you’re rooting for. How come I can see that the 12 personnel doesn’t work because Escobar was a wasted pick with no muscles. But it took them until week 6 to give up on it. The Cowboys should find a fullback, Murray was much more successful w/ a lead blocker as compared to having 97 TEs on the roster that can’t do jack except watch Witten work.

And also when it’s crunch time, just go empty backfield and let Romo pick teams apart. He’s been so good this year decision making wise. Just let him work.

akasaintsbaby says:Nov 5, 2013 1:07 PM

gibson34 says: Nov 5, 2013 12:54 PM

HOW BOUT THOSE COWBOYS!!! 1ST PLACE BABY
======================================

Drew Brees welcomes you to the dome in a primetime game.

vmannj says:Nov 5, 2013 1:25 PM

I have more issues with Callahan than I do with Garrett. End of the 1st quarter vs MIN, Murray had a run of something like 26-28 yards. He only had 3 carries the rest of the game. And Dallas had a lead for most of the game. When your OC, who calls the plays is also the O-line coach, and he REFUSES to run the ball, you’ve got some issues. Zero running and 32nd in the NFL in defensive yardage. Yet, at the end of the day, 100% of the blame always comes back to Romo. All of these “experts” leave me scratching my head sometimes.

Garret should be lucky he has a job. He is the weakest link on that entire football team. There is a lot of talent on that football team being wasted with his “leadership”. If you don’t trust him to call plays, why even keep the man. Bring someone who IS qualified to run things. Jerry just doesn’t like to be wrong, and rides a bad thing trying to prove himself right by hiring the idiot. Garret is nothing more than kiss-ass yes man.

Jason Garrett should be thankful that he coaches for the Cowboys because on any other team the fans/media would have held him responsible for this team’s short comings and run him out of town years ago. Instead Tony Romo, Dez Byrant and Jerry Jones catch all the heat. This guy is holding the Dallas Cowboys back and him being spared every year is all about Jerry Jones stubbornness and ego….again. I would have fired him after he froze his own kicker in the loss to the Cardinals. Never mind the numerous choke jobs that have followed.

either they’re still worried about Murray’s knee or they are insanely ignorant in play calling.

Just because a safety sneaks up in the box on almost every play, doesn’t mean you hand the ball off to your 3rd best Offensive player 4 times in an entire game.

It took a Tebow-like Miracle comeback – AT HOME – to beat one of the worst teams in the NFC.
Inexcusable play calling. Murray, et al, should have had at least 18 carries to give the defense something to think about.

I have a general question regarding Jason Garrett.
With the exception of Mr. Jones, who must always have a “yes man” for a head coach. Would Jason Garrett have a head coaching job on any other of the 31 teams?

700levelvet says:Nov 5, 2013 5:33 PM

The. “Most mediocre franchise in sports “….

larrydavid7000 says:Nov 5, 2013 6:26 PM

This career back up qb coaches like he played Sorry and Pathetic. !!! HTTR FOR LIFE.!!!!!